1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shaking apparatus, a shaking method, and an audiovisual system, which is capable of providing reality to viewers, as if they exist in the scenes of pictures displayed in front of them, by shaking the seat synchronously with the pictures, for example. According to an embodiment of the invention, a seat for a user is supported by three supporting parts at a front side, a rear left side and a right side or at a rear side, a front left side and a right side, and is inclined forward or backward and left or right by operating actuators mounted to the two supporting parts so as to vary the distance of the left and right supporting parts from the floor. Accordingly, the shaking apparatus can be manufactured with a simple structure and small size as compared with the related art.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art amusement facilities or public facilities, viewers are provided with reality, as if they are in a vehicle by displaying pictures taken from the vehicle on a big screen and synchronously shaking their seats with the pictures displayed on the screen using shaking apparatus.
As for audiovisual systems, a method of shaking seats according to the estimated results after estimating the motions of a vehicle from pictures displayed on a screen is disclosed, for example, in WO00/68886.
A configuration of a shaking apparatus applied to such audiovisual systems is disclosed in JP-A-62-262887. The shaking apparatus inclines the seat forward or backward and left or right and shakes the seat while the user is seated.
If such an audiovisual system is configured using a general domestic AV system, the entertainment obtained from the AV system can be improved. However, known shaking apparatuses are designed to be used for amusement facilities or public facilities, such that their structures are complicated and large in size. Therefore, known shaking apparatuses are not suitable for general domestic use in practice. Accordingly, a small-sized shaking apparatus having a simple structure may meet a need in domestic use.